Chaos on the F1 Grid

Mia felt beyond guilty when she had walked into Landos living room and seen Eleanore at the front door. The look of betrayal on her friends face had been evident, and she knew that sleeping with Lando had been the wrong thing to do. After all, she had discovered that very night, that Eleanore had stayed away from Charles out of (misguided) loyalty to her. Mia could have had the decency to wait until Eleanore had ended things before jumping into bed with him, but when she had seen him at Maxs and he had kissed her... she felt weak.

Mia: Eleanore...Please, wait.

She tried to call after her friend, but Eleanore ran off into the night too quickly. As Mia walked back into Landos apartment he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. Was he serious in this moment? she had just hurt her friend and he thought he was getting sex?

Mia: don't, Lando.

Lando: why not? She and I are over, you and I are here...

Mia pulled herself out of his arms, and turned to face him. She knew he had changed over the years, that the relationship and breakup with Luisa had impacted him. Mia knew about his sleeping around, but this, was different. He wasn't being the kind and sweet Lando she knew. He was being, for lack of a better word, a horn dog. She didn't like it.

Mia: ok, what is your deal? What happened? Are you not over Luisa? Did she break you so badly?

Lando took a step back, surprised by the tone Mia had used, and how angry she appeared to be. He felt ashamed of his behaviour. In truth he had been feeling ashamed for months. He hated how he had treated Charles, how he treated Eleanore.

Mia: I mean it, I love you, and I want to be with you... but the real YOU, not this version. So what happened?

It took Lando a moment to start talking, but when he did it was like the dam broke, it felt good to finally tell someone he cared about what had been happening. He realised how lonely he had felt.

Lando: it was before the car launch... Zak brought me to his office and said I needed to toughen up, that I needed to be a proper competitor. Basically making it clear he thought I was weak. He brought up Luis saying she had made me soft, and I needed to not let that happen again. He then started talking about Arthur, saying that Charles was going to use Arthur to get into my head – distract me. at first I thought it was bullshit, yeah Charles is competitive but he would never use his brother. But over the following weeks, Zak kept saying it, and whenever Arthur would be late for a meeting or would make a silly joke the more Zak's words seemed convincing. Especially when I was the butt of the jokes, or it was my time being wasted. Then during Bahrain... I overheard Pierre and Charles speaking about how Charles felt about Eleanore – I had been so frustrated at how Arthur was his puppet I wanted to get him back. So I asked her out, knowing how he felt. I couldn't believe when she said yes, I hadn't accounted for that to be honest. I found I liked hanging out with her, even more when Zak told me what a great job I was doing, and the contract discussions he was having with my team. I got a podium in the first race; everything was going great and it felt like Zak had been right all along...

Mia: oh my god.

Lando: please let me finish...I was going to make it official with Eleanore in Jeddah... but Zak forbade it. he said it would make me weak and pathetic. I know people think I was screwing around, but I wasn't. My manager brought a therapist along to the races, and every time I felt like I was spinning out of control I would go to her room for a session. Pierre saw it a few times, and I am sure what he must have thought – I let everyone think I was sleeping with other people... but I wasn't. I couldn't sleep properly; I wasn't training well. Things started to become too much, and Zak kept blaming Charles – saying that he had seen how Charles and Eleanore looked at each other, and was I going to let him take a girl as well as the championship?! He said I needed to be a man. The more he did the worse it got, so I blocked Charles on Eleanore's phone, and I blocked Eleanore on Charles'. I knew his passcode was his dads birthday and when we were all at a driver dinner... I took it and blocked her.

Mia felt disgusted at hearing all of this, mostly at Zak for forcing this behaviour, but also at Lando for going along with it. He was a grown man after all.

Lando: I can see what you are thinking, I get if you hate me now. I feel horrible for what I have done – you don't even know the terrible things I said to Charles this evening.

Mia: what did you say to him?!

Lando then told Mia all about the boys night, and the truly terrible things he had said. Mia felt rage building inside her, she had now betrayed her friend Eleanore, and felt like she had betrayed Charles. He would be so hurt by Lando's behaviour tonight, as well as over the last few months. It was all Landos fault. He was the reason Charles and Eleanore were not together, why they had both been hurting. Here she was, having slept with him before he was even technically single. The person you love should bring out the best in you, that is what she believed, yet this was not her best. She paced around his living room for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do, and how to feel. It wasn't until she looked at Lando and saw his head in his hands and heard him crying that she realised he truly wasn't the person he had been pretending to be these last few months.

Mia: you need to fix this Lando...

Lando: how??

Mia: tell Charles everything. Tell him how sorry you are. He is a good man; he will forgive you.

Lando: do you?

Did she forgive him? She hadn't thought about her needing to forgive him, only about her needing to beg forgiveness of Eleanore.

Mia: I am angry at how you have behaved. I also think you are a grown man who should have known better, as should your therapist by the way. Seriously Lando? I mean. You hurt people because your boss is an asshole who manipulated you. You have known Charles for longer than you have known Zak, did it really add up what he was saying??

Lando: at first no, but then I just... I don't know I was weak and stupid.

Mia: yeah you were.

That hurt Lando a lot, he knew he had been those things, but hearing the woman he loved say it, sucked. The only thing he could do in that moment was nod in agreement, as the tears fell down his face. Suddenly he felt her arms wrapping around him.

Mia: you have to make this right ok? We cannot be together until you do... and I so want to be with you.

Lando: I want that more than anything Mia.

Mia: ok, so tomorrow you will speak to Charles. I will arrange it all ok.

Lando: yes. Please stay tonight, I don't want to be alone.

Mia: I will stay, but we are not having sex again until you have fixed what you broke, and we are official.

Mia took out her phone and began messaging Charles to ask to talk tomorrow, of course he agreed – she hadn't mentioned that Lando would be there. She knew how angry this would make Charles, but she hoped that he would forgive her afterwards. Eleanore was a whole other story. Yes, the woman was going to end things with Lando, she was in love with someone else. But Mia should have waited. It wasn't ok. She had been so happy finding out Lando did love her, that she got caught up in everything. She sent Eleanore a text asking to talk, and it was left on 'read'. She sent another, and another, 12 in total, all apologising begging to talk, acknowledging how badly she had behaved. Finally Eleanore replied, though Mia wasn't sure how to feel.

Eleanore: I am not ignoring you right now, I am dealing with something, and I cannot talk. Please stop blowing up my fucking phone, we will talk soon. Its late and I just want to go to bed.

The tone was annoyed, but annoyed about being interrupted or annoyed because she now hated Mia?